


Regional Terms for Furniture

by standbygo



Series: NaNoWriMo 2013 One Word Prompt Challenge [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-13
Updated: 2013-11-13
Packaged: 2018-01-01 08:41:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1042767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/standbygo/pseuds/standbygo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John learns about a new section of Sherlock's mind palace. Or is that a sectional?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Regional Terms for Furniture

**Author's Note:**

> NaNoWriMo One Word Prompt Challenge - "Chesterfield", from Jen.

John clicked his mouse and watched the cards on his laptop screen sort itself into piles. That made eighteen games of Freecell played, twelve won, and boredom achieved. He glanced over at Sherlock, who was lying full length on the sofa, hands steepled at his chin, eyes closed. At least he hadn’t complained about the clicking sounds John was making.

“Oh!”

John looked over and smiled. Sherlock’s eyes were wide open again, face transformed into a childlike frame of wonder. John loved this part.

“Got it, then?”

Sherlock sat up, stretching his neck and back. “Lord Grey is a liar.”

“Yes?”  A pause. “Do share, Sherlock.”

“He’s not British, despite his claim. He’s Canadian.”

John took a second to try to process this, then shook his head. “Walk me through it.”

“He referred to the sofa in his study as a chesterfield; that’s a term only used by Canadians, actually just in some parts of Ontario.”

“Hang on,” John said. “My gran called hers a chesterfield, and I don’t think she even knew where Canada was on a map.”

Sherlock was already fiddling on his mobile, and within moments turned it to show a picture to John. “It looked like this, yes? High back, same height arms, deep buttons?”

“Er, yeah.”

“That’s a proper Chesterfield. Canadians call all models a chesterfield. Fascinating, really, socio-geographical boundaries with different signifiers for the same sign. Depending on the region people could call the same object a sofa, couch, chesterfield, divan… There’s an indepth study on the subject, took me a while to find it.”

“In your mind palace?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Your mind palace has a wing for a furniture shop?”

Sherlock bristled momentarily until he saw John smile. “Relax, Sherlock, I’m just taking the mickey.” John shut down his laptop. “So, case solved then? Are you going to text in the deduction, or do you want to do a big declaration in front of the family?”

“Hm – member of the peerage found guilty of fraud due to my extensive knowledge of regional terms for furniture – think I’ll have to go for the public declaration.”

“I really have to make you read some Agatha Christie. On the other hand, no – don’t need you getting any more dramatic than you are already.” John stood up. “So you’re done? I can watch telly then? Top Gear’s on soon.”

“If you must.”

John walked over to the sofa and stood, hands on hips, staring at Sherlock with a half smile on his face.

“What?”

John smiled. “This sofa or couch or chesterfield or whatever the hell this is, is made for two. Move your legs, you lanky git, and make room for me.”

 

_End_

 


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